Lost & Found
by teno-hikari
Summary: AU - but manga-based. For centuries, Spooner has been ravaged in a war between light and darkness. A bizarre relationship forms between Haz Knight Zaha Torte and the enemies’ ruthless enigmatic General. Yeah, my summary sucks… read the story…


Lost and Found  
  
Written By: Teno Hikari and Lady Douji  
Beta-reader: Sarryn  
  
Warnings: Violence, Adult Language, Yaoi (Homosexual relations), Abuse, BDSM, and a lot of angst...  
  
Summary: AU (Alternate Universe) but manga-based. For centuries, Spooner has been ravaged in a war between light and darkness. A bizarre relationship forms between Haz Knight Zaha Torte and the enemies' ruthless enigmatic General. Yeah, my summary sucks… read the story… [YAOI and later NC-17]  
  
  
I, I looked into your eyes and saw   
A world that does not exist  
I looked into your eyes and saw   
A world I wish I was in  
- Touched by Vast  
  
  
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A storm was brewing. Angry clouds began to gather across the sky, getting darker by the minute. Despite the cool breeze and light rainfall, a dark clad figure on horseback continued to wait on top a grassy hill. How long he had been there a lone traveler from Shang-Shanghai could only guess as he slowly navigated to the path.  
  
The traveler, an old merchant who traded items between villages, had seen many wonders in his journeys, but rider's horse was, perhaps, the most memorable of them all, for he had never seen a horse quite like it in such a long time. He stopped and stared while catching his breath. The black stallion that waited patiently with its master stared back. Demonic red eyes narrowed and the man was taken aback. Was it a demon of some kind?   
  
Wrinkling his brow in confusion, he wondered what or who the rider was waiting for. Or how long he was going to wait, or had waited. Minutes? Hours? Days? The cloaked rider was like a statue, unmoving until a crow cawed loudly as it flew above them.  
  
The figure tilted his hooded-covered head up as the bird swooped down and exploded into a small cloud of blue smoke. Tightening gloved fingers on the reigns, the rider lifted his other arm above his head. The silence across the land was suddenly disturbed by the footsteps of a hundred feet.   
  
The traveler began to wonder if his mind was playing tricks on him, for it sounded like an army was advancing. However, there was no one to be seen behind the stranger on horseback. The footsteps suddenly came to a halt, and the traveler looked even more bewildered. Perhaps it was an earthquake? The elder thought. Or maybe a landslide further down the path...  
  
Wordlessly, the figure lowered his hand and pointed to the road the elder had come from. Cocking his head to the side, the traveler suddenly realized that the other was probably asking for directions. He opened his mouth to respond until the rider spurred his horse and took off, and from behind came the marching sound he had heard before. It grew louder and the traveler felt as if he were being surrounded. A sudden, inexplicable wind pushed him to the ground.  
  
Coughing dust, the marching noise was ringing in his ears, he looked up, and noticed two things. The first was that the rider had vanished from sight; and second, the dirt road was covered with hundreds of footprints. Also, it was the last thing he saw before something sharp cut through the air and lopped off his head.   
  
The decapitated body of the traveler fell forward, blood splashing across the ground. Thunder rumbled overhead while the rain, no longer a light drizzle, poured forth from the dark gray clouds. The footprints soon became undistinguishable and turned into deep muddy puddles. All that remained was the body of a poor unknowing witness, whose blood stained the ground red.  
  
  
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Chapter One: Approaching Storm  
  
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"Papa! Papa! Papa! Papa's back!"   
  
Haz Knight Zaha Torte smiled as he knelt down and gathered the three children into a big hug. Giggling and laughing, the trio clung to their adopted father. The knight laughed when the twin boys remained hanging on to both his arms and the youngest girl from his waist as he stood.  
  
He continued to walk towards his destination as two redheads behind him tried to stifle their laughter. It was a rather humorous sight: their adopted father, Captain of the Haz Knights, trying to look dignified with his extra baggage. Finally, the elder girls took pity on him and went over to pluck their siblings off.   
  
"Guess what, Papa!" his daughter once again had her arms around his middle. "Guess what! Guess what!"   
  
"All right, Pumpkin," he chuckled as he picked the small girl up and carried her on his shoulder. "What?"  
  
"I get to be a Sorcerer Hunter just like Pecan and Berry!"   
  
"You haven't even started your training yet," Pecan, the eldest of the sibling trio pointed out. "You won't until you're thirteen."  
  
Pumpkin scowled at him. "I only have to wait four years, and I bet I'll be a better Sorcerer Hunter than the both of you!" Her innocent brown eyes then looked over to her two elder beautiful sisters. "You'll help me right?"  
  
Tira and Chocolate nodded while grinning at the twins. The boys were already cringing at the thought of their little sister turning into a dominatrix queen. Zaha found the exchange rather amusing and laughed as he ushered them towards the house where an elderly woman smiled while waiting for them.  
  
"Hello, Maple. Thank you again for watching them while I was away."  
  
"It's not trouble at all, sir Zaha," she said while giving him a small hug. "Will you be staying long? I've prepared dinner for all of us."  
  
"Thank you. Come, let's all go inside." Casting his violet eyes towards the gray clouds he added, "We're in for some harsh weather tonight."  
  
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The Saint of Stellar Church lifted her head after finishing her daily prayers and faced the four waiting figures. She gave her Haz Knights an apologetic nod for the wait and gestured for them to rise. Lavender eyes fell on each robed figure until they rested at the empty space in the center.   
  
"Milphey Yu," Big Mama addressed the white robed Haz Knight. "Did Zaha contact you when he reached his destination?"  
  
"Yes, Mama," came the Knight's reply. "There were no problems on his journey..."  
  
The worry and tension that had shown on her beautiful face had vanished quickly. Replaced with relief and serenity as she smiled. "Thank goodness..."  
  
"With all the ambushed attacks, I was worried for Zaha," she continued. "Perhaps it would have been wise for him to have one of you as a companion."  
  
"Captain insisted the he go by himself," said Milphey as a grim twisted his painted lips. "It took much arm-twisting for him to take Chocolate and Tira."  
  
Mama resisted the urge to giggle, "My, those two are certainly protective."  
  
"Very."  
  
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Horse hooves pounded like thunder against the ground as lightning burst across the sky. Under the cover of night, the rider was almost invisible as he approached his destination. Grasping the reigns, he jerked the stallion to a halt along with the echoing footsteps from behind.   
  
"Surround them," he commanded in a low voice, tipping his head towards the unknowing village. "Block all the exits and do not alert anyone to our presence until I give the signal. Go."  
  
Silence answered his orders and the rider nodded. Muttering a spell under his breath, fog swirled from nowhere, cloaking him completely. The soft footfalls could easily be mistaken for the wind as they marched forward.   
  
  
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"Then what happened, Papa?" Pecan asked eagerly as the family sat down at the table for dinner. "Did you and Sir Milphey kill the dragon?"  
  
Zaha couldn't help but chuckle at being the center of attention for three pairs of eager eyes. His other two girls were sitting silently while eating. They had heard his stories countless times, but listened intently nonetheless.   
  
"No, we did not," he answered before taking another bite of his dinner. "You see, the only reason the dragon was attacking the town because it's offspring had been kidnapped and taken there. Milphey and I rescued it and returned the baby to its mother. After her child was returned, she left the town alone."   
  
"So it was a mama-dragon," Pumpkin pieced together as she pushed aside her vegetables and went straight for the mashed potatoes. "Was the baby dragon cute?"   
  
"Dragons aren't cute," Berry said knowingly.  
  
Pecan rolled his eyes. "As if you know, we've never seen a dragon."  
  
"Have to!"   
  
"Have not!"  
  
"I have to!"  
  
"Oh yeah, where?"  
  
"In a school book."  
  
"That doesn't count."  
  
"Uh-huh!"  
  
"Nu-uh!"  
  
"Uh-huh!"  
  
"Boys," Zaha broke in. "Please don't argue at the table. Pumpkin dear, eat your vegetables."  
  
Three sighs sounded in unison, "Yes, papa."  
  
Chocolate lifted her head as the grandfather clocked chimed the evening hour. Maple stood up and ushered the children off to bed as she collected the dishes and kindly accepted Tira's help. Slowly, the teenaged girl stood up and walked towards the window.  
  
"It sure got foggy pretty quickly," she said, shivering a little.   
  
Zaha set his mug of tea down and looked up, "Fog? How peculiar..."  
  
The Sorcerer Hunter reached for a black leather cap that rested upon the table. "Shall I go investigate?"   
  
The Knight nodded his head and turned to the other redhead who was standing in the kitchen entrance. As soon as Chocolate placed her hat on, Tira removed her glasses. The two black-leather clad dominatrix Sorcerer Hunters stood side by side as their father rose from his seat.   
  
"Stay together," he advised his daughters. "I will be here waiting for if you should need my assistance."  
  
"Yes, father."  
  
With that, he watched them leave and sighed as he counted the seconds. Even though the village was well guarded with other Sorcerer Hunters, he still worried. The war was still going on and every village within the Stellar Church's protection was to remain alert.   
  
Something tugged at his dark robes and Zaha looked down to see Pumpkin looking up at him. "Pumpkin? You're supposed to be in bed."  
  
"I know, Papa," she said hesitantly. "But the storm is scary... can... I... can I stay with you until I fall asleep?"   
  
The little girl gave him her famous 'teary-eyed' look that he found impossible to say 'no' to. So he scooped the little girl up and sat her down on his lap. Another ten minutes later, the boys came out dressed in their nightclothes and sat down at the table.   
  
"Let me guess," Zaha smirked. "You two are both still afraid of storms?"  
  
"No," Berry answered quickly and smirked towards his brother. "But, Pecan is."  
  
"I am not!"  
  
"Are too!"   
  
"Am not!"  
  
"Are too!"  
  
Sighing, the captain of the Haz Knights stared outside the window and hoped for other children's safe return.  
  
  
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Seated upon his throne, The dark warlord's violet eyes stared down at the messenger before him. Sleek black fur, damp with rain, suddenly turned to flesh and armor. The head of a wolf rolled back and transformed into that of a woman The golden-eyed female, formerly the shadowed beast, knelt before her leader.  
  
"My lord," the husky and inhuman female voice spoke. "The General has arrived at his destination and has begun the attack."   
  
A smile twisted the warlord's beautiful features as he absently curled a long lavender tendril of hair around his finger. The young looking man, who had the face of an angel, was now grinning demonically. Standing up from his seat, he walked over to the large window.  
  
"Excellent," he said lightly, brushing his slender fingers against the glass. "Return to him, Hecate. Tell him I wish to hear those tormented screams on the wind ... and for my enemies' blood to fall like rain..."  
  
The sorceress bowed her head. "As you wish, Lord Charlotte."  
  
  
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Chocolate and her sister Tira cut through the unnatural fog as they searched for it's source... or, more likely, it's caster. Despite their crafts and knowledge of healing spells, both wished they had taken their mage's offer to accompany them. Marron Glace, their group leader could probably dispel this fog with ease.  
  
"Sister?" Tira looked at Chocolate. "What do you think?"  
  
Icy blue eyes narrowed. "I think this fog is a smokescreen."  
  
"Should we turn back and get father?"   
  
"No," the elder shook her head. "Give me a line, I want to see where it ends."  
  
Nodding, the younger sister pulled out her attacking spindle and handed her sister the end of a thread. "Careful, sis. If you run into trouble, tug on it."  
  
The older sorcerer hunter nodded as she wrapped the thread around a gloved finger and stepped walked forward. Tira swallowed hard and watched her older sister disappear into the fog. Looking around, ruby colored eyes narrowed, she searched for any kind of movement.   
  
Her heart began to speed up as the minutes ticked by. She bit her lip to resist the urge to call out for Chocolate. Suddenly there was a sharp tug on the line and Tira sprang forward. Her black stiletto heels struck something slippery on the ground and she almost slipped, but she soon righted herself and continued, pay it no mind to what it might have been.  
  
It was when she slammed into something solid that Tira realized what it was. Catching herself from falling to the ground for a second time, she saw several glittery rocks. Looking up she realized what she had run into and blinked in disbelief.   
  
"Ice?!" she gasped as her breath fogged before her. There was another tug on the line and the Sorcerer Hunter took a couple more steps into the thick mist and came face to face with an inhuman horse. Or... what looked like a horse, for she had never seen one with blood red eyes before.  
  
"Sorcerer Hunters," a male voice broke the silence. "I should have known, but you won't be a problem."  
  
Looking up Tira founder the end of her thread in the rider's gloved hand rather than Chocolate's. "What did you do to my sister?!" she demanded, cracking her whip.  
  
The hooded figure said nothing as he dropped the thread and waved his hand to the solid thing she had run into. Her eyes followed it and landed upon large pillar of ice. Squinting she could make out a figure and screamed her sister's name before she too was encased in ice.   
  
  
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Zaha jerked his head up, trying not to startle Pumpkin who was snoring softly in his arms. It had been almost hour since Tira and Chocolate had left and his paternal alarms were ringing. The twins stopped their quiet bickering and looked up to see the Haz Knight stand, laying the sleeping girl on the sofa.   
  
"Papa?"   
  
"I'm going to go look for both of them."  
  
He turned to the boys and told them to stay close to their sister and Maple while he went to see what was keeping the others. They obeyed silently, huddling together by fireplace, as their Papa walked out of the warmth of their home and into the cold darkness.   
  
  
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End Chapter One  
  
Author's Notes: I know, we have way to many plot bunnies in our hands to juggle around. Can't help it really, we're addicted to Carrot-torture. This story is actually finished in out AIM conversations… a lot of other stories are finished… they're just not written down yet ^^; 


End file.
